King's insights into COP29

How participatory research could transform communities and the climate crisis

Dr Gefion Thuermer reflects on COP in a new blog, and how including diverse voices and perspectives in research could bring a new dimension to understanding of the climate emergency.

Final day of COP29: Latest draft text for the NCQG

Professor Sarah Bracking, Professor of Climate and Society, responded to the probable figure that  emerged for the New Collective Quantified Goal (NCQG) on climate finance of 250 billion US dollars per year by 2035 for climate action in developing country Parties. She described it as "weak" and said a decision is in effect being "postponed to what will be an increasingly unliveable future." 

"It’s time for bold, justice-centred commitments"

Richard Kalu, PhD student in the Department of Geography, reflects on the need a for strong, inclusive approach to climate justice:

"The spotlight on the Loss and Damage Fund at COP29 underscores a pivotal moment for addressing the historic inequities of climate change. For regions like Nigeria, where my research explores the intersections of climate, security, and subaltern insurgency, the stakes couldn’t be higher. The cascading effects of climate insecurity, from displaced communities to escalating conflicts over dwindling resources, demand immediate and equitable solutions.

As we negotiate frameworks for reparative justice and resilience-building, I’m hopeful that COP29 moves beyond rhetoric to deliver actionable outcomes. The inclusion of marginalized voices, particularly those living on the frontlines of climate insecurity, is essential to creating policies that reflect lived realities. The decisions made here could be transformative—or yet another missed opportunity to address the systemic roots of climate injustice.

It’s time for bold, justice-centred commitments that not only tackle the immediate challenges of loss and damage but also empower vulnerable communities to imagine and create sustainable futures."

Final day of COP29: Gap 'appears vast' between countries

"With the G77 and China sticking to a high $1.3 trillion ask, but the developed countries rumoured to be offering a figure of a low hundreds of billions, the gap appears vast," said Professor Sarah Bracking, Professor of Climate and Society, as she reflected on the climate finance negotiations still taking place on the last scheduled day of the conference in Baku.

The critical negotiations on the New Collective Quantified Goal 

Şimal Efsane Erdoğan, a PhD student from the Dickson Poon School of Law, who attended COP29 in Baku in person as a King's delegate, shared her thoughts on the negotiations and policies at the event so far.

"As COP29 draws to a close, the ongoing negotiations around the New Collective Quantified Goal are especially critical, reflecting the urgent needs of developing countries" she said.

"Adequate funding will be crucial to enabling these nations to align their 2025 Nationally Determined Contributions with the target of limiting global warming to 1.5°C.

"Encouragingly, several economies have unveiled more ambitious net-zero policies during COP29. The UK is targeting an 81% reduction in emissions by 2035, Brazil aims for a 59–67% reduction by 2035, and Türkiye is committed to achieving net zero by 2053. These commitments inspire hope for accelerated climate action, with decarbonization emerging as a central force in both existing and new legislation, driving the global transition to sustainability."

MSc student Fanny Dreyer on making sure that no one is left behind

"The backdrop of COP29 in Azerbaijan reminds us of the delicate balance between past energy dependencies and the future we must finance – a future free from fossil fuels. As COP29 progresses, it's time to move from commitments to accountability: the global north must ensure no one is left behind in the fight against climate change. Climate finance must be transparent, accessible, and impactful."

Dr Gefion Thuermer on women in climate leadership and loss and damage

Dr Gefion Thuermer summarised some of her experiences at COP so far, including her time spent at discussions around the role of women in climate resilience:

"The highlight of my first day was an amazing workshop, hosted by the Gender and Environment Data Alliance (GEDA), focused on "The Power of Gender Data for Prioritization and Transparency." After a short introductory talk, the participants were invited to breakout sessions to discuss gender and data challenges. In the discussion about women's leadership, everyone in my group agreed that we need more women representation in climate talks, especially in positions of power, and not 'just' on classic 'women's issues'. I also learned that case studies from projects like IMPETUS for citizen science! - with an entirely female leadership team, and 80% of our funded citizen science initiatives also women-led - can be really valuable. If we can share what we do and how, the amazing work the women in our community do, and what we achieve together, that can help inspire and empower others.

The second discission on data on Loss and Damage on the other hand concluded that we need to enable and build capacity not only among women, but also among policy makers, to understand what data needs to be collected / considered in order to reflect the effects climate change has on women specifically.

Finally, speakers from Women's Environment & Development Organization, UN Women, and IUCN outlined useful tools for gender data collection and exploration, such as the WEDO Gender and Climate Change Resource Kit."

Cop29 - 'Climate Resilience': Achievable future or vague buzzword?

Climate resilience considers how a community can prepare, respond, recover and adapt to the impacts of climate change. Anna Goodden, who is participating in COP29 as a King’s virtual delegate, links her research on climate resilience to the discussions that have taken place at COP29 so far and their implications for creating resilient futures.

Dr Clement Sefa-Nyarko: Reflections at COP29

Dr Clement Sefa-Nyarko, Lecturer in Security, Development and Leadership in Africa, reflects on his time in Baku:

"The range of perspectives at the pavilions and platforms is almost irreconcilable and an illustration of the differences in capacity between countries and stakeholders at COP 29. At one extreme is the outdooring of sophisticated renewable energy initiatives and ambitions mediated by science and technology in some countries, and on the other extreme, pragmatic efforts by other countries that can only afford programmes and initiatives such as improvements in the efficiency of charcoal and firewood for household energy. Caught between these extremes are ordinary people who just want to live meaningfully. There is some mismatch between expectations and realities, which also creates misunderstanding about governmental priorities. A profound statement by activists in the Blue Zone was that “countries are more concerned about the outcome statements from the COP29 negotiations rather than justice and sustainability”. I do not believe that this is necessarily the case across the board for all countries but is indicative of people’s perspectives informed by their realities. COPs are good for reinforcing multilateralism if justice in the transitions is ever possible. But could there be other ways to transform policy and rhetoric to just and equitable transition globally? My ongoing research that delves into the intricacies and politics of national energy transition policies find meaning in these debates, and so COP29 is a good space to engage, observe, and listen for additional data and insights to answering some of the questions." 

Climate finance: a key theme of this year's COP29.

Professor Sarah Bracking, Professor of Climate and Society, has explored what is happening with the climate finance discussions at COP29. She has analysed the New Collective Quantified Goal (NCQG) that seems to be up for discussion and in this article sets out why it must not distract from other priorities and the five moral hazards in play at the global conference.

UK pledge on greenhouse gas emissions "highly significant"

Professor Frans Berkhout said Keir Starmer's pledge on greenhouse gas emissions at COP29 is highly significant and shows he "aims to recapture the UK’s leadership position on climate precisely at a moment of peril for climate policy" following Trump’s election. His comments were also included in The Guardian's COP29 live rolling coverage.

Why COP29 matters and what to expect

Want to know more about what COP29 is and why it is important? PhD researcher Rachel Harrington-Abrams, from the Department of Geography, has created this guide to COP29 'Why it matters and what to expect' to tell you who will be there, what the key areas of focus will be, which challenges might be hard to resolve and how we will know if the meeting has been a success.

King's community helping to meet the challenges of climate change

At King's, we're harnessing the power of our community to meet the challenges presented by the climate crisis head on. From our interdisciplinary research to our innovative education, transforming our operations and driving engagement on climate, this video details the ways in which King's is working to take action to create a brighter future for everyone.

Why I am attending COP29 and key themes I hope to see addressed

Anna Romano, a postgraduate student (MA Global Media Industries), is one of King's virtual delegate and shared her thoughts on what she hopes to get out of this year’s conference and the themes she thinks will be an important part of the event, including accessibility in climate discourse, practical solutions for the energy transition, the role of the media and how major events like COP29 can inspire direct action.

Meet the King's delegates

King’s is officially admitted as an Non-Governmental Organisation Observer to the COP negotiations and has nominated delegates to attend the Intersessional meetings and COPs. Coordinated by King’s Climate & Sustainability and the Centre for Climate Law & Governance, the King’s delegation comprises an interdisciplinary team of academics and students who bring diverse expertise to the conference. We shared details of our in-person and virtual delegates on social media channels - Linked In and Instagram- and you can also find out more about them and why they wanted to be delegates at COP29 on the delegates tab of the King's at COP webseries.

Post-COP29 Outcomes Forum

On 4 December, King's is hosting the high-profile Post-COP29 Outcomes Forum: Pathway to COP30 event. The annual post-COP Forum, a collaboration between the Policy Institute, King’s Climate & Sustainability, the Climate Action Coalition and Diplomat  magazine, will reflect on the achievements and next steps following COP29. Held shortly after the conference, the event will bring together an influential cohort of policy makers, ambassadors, business leaders, academics and civil society leaders.

King's at COP29

The King's at COP webseries pulls together features, events, biographies of our delegates and information on how King's is taking an active role in fostering international dialogue and research-driven climate action.